Unconventional
by StarscreamII
Summary: She was curious. Well, to be honest, they both were. After a night alone with some beer and each other, they both learn things about the other they never knew, but at the same time, more questions are raised as others are answered. Thankfully, they're both willing to stick together to figure it all out.
1. The Morning After

**A/N:** I've done it again. Gone and written something about a game I've never actually played. But considering I haven't posted anything for a while, and the inspiration hit me _hard_ for this, I figured I might as well run with it and see where it took me. (And for the record, though I've never actually played the game myself, I have watched my dad and sister tag-teaming it all over Pandora together, so it sort of counts.)

That being said, I tried to be as faithful to the characters as I could, which was fun. This is a great pair (and a new OTP to add to the ever-growing list) and I had a blast with Gaige's dialogue. That chick is one heck of a rambler. Dang. Also, it's easier to write almost-natural-sounding dialogue in haiku that I would have expected. Who knew.

I don't have too much to say about this other than it's basically a character study and fluff and a "welcome-to-my-headcanon-please-enjoy-your-stay" kind of story all in one. For those of you who know more about Borderlands than I do (you know, like if you've actually _played_ it…), please give me feedback on how I did (or how I could improve).

**As usual, read, enjoy, review, and share! Thanks!  
>Disclaimer: Borderlands and its characters do not belong to me. I just like to borrow them and play with them.<br>**

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><p>"Wake up, lover boy!"<p>

Zer0 was rudely awakened by Axton grabbing his shoulder and shaking it. Hard. Thoughts floated around in his head, more distant and ambiguous than he felt comfortable with. He opened his eyes and realized that several things were wrong. Several critical things. One, _everybody_ was staring at him. Everybody but Gaige. But that was because she was reason two. She was in bed next to him. Which brought him to reason three. Neither of them were wearing anything. Instantly, memories of last night pushed to the forefront of his mind and he felt himself blushing despite his every attempt to keep his composure.

He almost felt sick, though he wasn't sure if it was due to the alcohol from the night before or the realization that everyone had now not only seen him without his helm—fuck it—without _anything_ on, but now also knew about he and Gaige. So much for that façade.

"The hell happened here?" Salvador muttered, then a little more loudly, "And what the hell _are_ you?"

He wished he could go invisible without the stealth suit. "If you all leave now / I won't have to kill someone / Give us a minute."

Axton didn't look happy, but honored his request all the same. "You heard him. Get outta here and let 'em have a chance to sort this shit out."

One by one, the other Vault Hunters filed out of the room, but not without shooting a few parting glances over their shoulders as they did so.

Zer0 rubbed his eyes, trying to fight the increasingly urgent feeling that he was going to vomit and instead focused on taking inventory of the situation. He'd fucked Gaige. That much was obvious. He couldn't help but smirk a little. Axton's wake-up call hadn't even roused her in the slightest, so he must've worn her _out_.

"Gaige?" Hesitantly, he reached out and brushed the back of his hand across her cheek, sweeping away the messy ginger hair.

She didn't move.

He tried again. "Gaige, wake up." He shook her shoulder.

She stirred slightly, seeming almost reluctant, even while only half-conscious.

"You need to get up / The others know about us.../"

Minimal response.

"Gaige, please get up now."

After a moment, her lashes fluttered, and she squinted up at him, blinking a few times.

* * *

><p>Her throat was sore. Her thighs were sore. Her whole body was sore. Her whole...naked body? Oh. Yeah. Right. Last night. The beer. The flirting. The convenient way they'd been alone at the base... The touching. The laughing. Fumbling around in bed, by that time too drunk to have any regrets.<p>

It was all coming back. The undressing; the grand reveal. Her uncontained awe at how damn _beautiful _he was. She wanted to put her hands all over him. ...and she had. And the night had ended in feverish blushing, swollen lips, sweat, and...sex.

"You alright?"

Zer0's voice snapped her out of the memories. "Yeah, yeah, never better." She winced a little as she moved her legs. "A little sore, but as far as first times go, it didn't seem as bad as everyone makes it sound. How about you? I mean, I know it's not really _quite_ the same for you, but—"

"Gaige, the others know."

"—still had a good time and...what?"

"Axton and all the others / They know about us."

"Wait, they found us like this?"

He nodded.

She opened her mouth, then closed it again, then settled back into the sheets. "Well, then I guess that's that. Secret's out. About us and..." she gestured vaguely at him, "...you."

"They asked what I was."

"Did you...tell them?"

"No. I told them to fuck off."

"Seriously?"

"...with a bit more tact."

"Oh. Good, I guess." She was silent for a moment, trying to wrap her foggy, hungover brain around everything she'd learned and experienced last night. Zer0 was...not human. Well, not _entirely. _The moment the helmet came off, that much was obvious. At first (and in hindsight, she mentally kicked herself for this) she'd been a little disappointed that he wasn't a robot. Or, at the very least, mechanically augmented in some way—a fellow cyborg. But the disappointment was quickly replaced with curiosity as to what he _was._

Once he was stripped down to nothing but his pants, she'd walked (weaved, more accurately) in circles around him, trying to take it all in. Perfectly-toned muscles packed inside an impossibly slender body. Three fingers and a thumb on each hand. High cheekbones (which only accented how sharp his jawline was), pale gray eyes (that were a little glazed at the time), black hair cut relatively short, thin lips...oh. Yeah. The wings. He had honest-to-God wings. They lay pressed flat against his back; paper-thin, deep iridescent violet, crisscrossed with veins. Insect wings.

That must have been about the time she started asking questions... _Can you fly with those? How come you only have four fingers? Is it hard to hold stuff and turn doorknobs and things or does it even bother you at all? I've never met anyone who wasn't human and I've definitely never gotten drunk and_—

And then he'd kissed her. Probably to shut her up, but still. For a first kiss, she'd take it. Things got a little hazy after that, all she could remember was how warm he was and how he chewed her bottom lip. And how that _really_ turned her on. Between kisses (and licking and neck biting and everything else he was doing that she never would have thought he'd be so good at), he explained what he knew about his heritage...which wasn't much. He knew that he was at least part...something…

She squinted, trying to force her brain to remember what he'd said. Eridian. That was it. She'd heard the word in passing, but reminded herself to ask the older Vault Hunters what exactly that _meant._ He didn't know his origins, or even his real name, for that matter. Even with her brain _swimming_ in beer, that had seemed a little weird. She had a feeling he knew more than he was telling (even while completely trashed, the dude had mad skills), but she didn't push it.

Secretive or not, she thought he was downright perfect. A half-human, half-whatever-the-hell-else ninja assassin? Freaking amazing.

* * *

><p>He looked around, vowing silently never to let himself get that intoxicated again. The adrenaline from the awakening had worn off, giving way to the dull throb of what he knew was going to be a massive hangover. The light hurt, the noise hurt...God, even <em>thinking <em>hurt. If he had to go out with the others today... He groaned out loud at that thought, slowly sinking back down into the pillow. Whether he was trying to escape the oncoming headache, nausea, or realization of the (metaphoric) shit he was now waist-deep in, he wasn't sure. Maybe all three.

"You...don't sound too good. You okay?"

"Promise me something." He was talking into the pillow, but he didn't care. How in the _hell_ could she be less hungover than he was? Maybe she just had a higher metabolism to deal with it. Maybe she could hide it better. Maybe it hadn't hit her yet.

"Sure...?"

"Never let me get that drunk."

"Well...little late for that, isn't it? I mean, we've already got the hangovers and empty bottles to show for it, not to mention how we woke up in the same bed, so I'd say—"

"Nevermind, shut up." Any more of her jabbering, endearing as it was, would split his pounding skull open and probably make him throw up at the same time. However, once the words were out of his mouth, he felt a little guilty. "I didn't mean—"

"No, it's okay." He heard her shifting around in the sheets beside him. "I'm just a little nervous 's all. We...kinda screwed up."

He just nodded dumbly. That was an understatement. In all of five seconds, his entire image was burning in a heap behind him. No more mystery surrounding him and no more subtlety regarding his relationship with Gaige... He sighed. Not that the young engineer could even _do _subtle. But she tried.

"You know, I meant everything I said last night. About you being perfect and sexy and all that. It wasn't just the booze talking." She reached out and started playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. The fingers of her metal hand were cold. "You're pretty much the most amazing thing I've ever seen..." she petered off, as if not quite sure where she was intending to go with the confession. "And, I mean, I knew you were awesome even before I knew what you looked like. The whole half-Eridian deal just makes it better, even though I don't really know what an Eridian _is_..." Her organic hand came into play, much warmer than the other. It slowly traced down his shoulder blades to the wings folded tightly against his back. Gently, she felt along the edge of one with her fingertips. "Wow," she breathed, sounding almost reverent. "These are gorgeous. I never even noticed how pretty they were last night..."

His only response was a noncommittal "mm" into the pillow. He couldn't really say much more. It was strange, having someone be so _okay_ with him. His appearance, his sketchy backstory, his predilection for killing things. Violently.

"You sure you're okay? I mean, if you need to go puke somewhere and come back, I totally understand. We had _waaaay _too much to drink last night—"

"I need a shower." He hesitated. No, better not invite her join him. Without saying another word, he slipped out from under her fingers and half-fell, half-weaved his way to the back of the Raider HQ, trying to ignore her giggling behind him. He knew it wasn't really at his expense—she probably thought it was cute. _Cute._ He started to shake his head, but stopped with a moan when stars swam back and forth across his vision. People were supposed to be _scared _of him. They weren't supposed to be sweet; they were supposed to scream. They were supposed to beg for their lives instead of hanging onto his arm, chattering happily away about whatever crossed their minds. They weren't supposed to _like_ him. Yet somehow, that was Gaige's first instinct.

He slowly leaned back against the wall, swallowing the rising nausea. He just needed a cold shower (for a couple reasons) and _sleep_. And then, when he woke up…when he woke up, he would figure all this out.

* * *

><p>She sat silently on the bed, listening to him moving around in the bathrooms in the back of the HQ, thinking about what he'd said. Or, rather, what he hadn't. She shouldn't have been surprised. He was an assassin—people skills weren't exactly his selling point, but still… She thought she'd been getting somewhere with him, getting him to open up and actually <em>care<em>, and then… Who would have thought that sex would be a setback?

She heard him cough a few times, followed by a wet gag, a messy-sounding _splat_, and a low groan of disgust. She wrinkled her nose. Yeah, they should have stopped drinking after the third round, definitely. She tucked her knees up to her chin and listened to him dry-heaving for a few more seconds. He probably wouldn't want help. A moment later, she heard the water come on and the shower curtain rustle into place.

A soft knock on the wall startled her.

"Gaige?" Maya's voice. "Can I come in?"

"Sure."

The Siren appeared around the corner, looking stoic.

"If you're here to lecture me, I already know what—"

Maya's blue lips quirked up at the corner as she sat down on the bunk opposite Gaige. "I'm not going to lecture you. You're old enough to make your own decisions. I just wanted to know if you felt like talking—though Moxxi would probably be the better authority on these kinds of things."

Gaige was silent for a moment. She _did _feel like talking. She wanted answers. Why did she find Zer0 attractive? Why had she always had weird taste in guys? Why wasn't he still in here snuggling with her like people were supposed to do after sex? What had she done wrong to erase the progress they'd made in their relationship up to this point? _What the hell was an Eridian?_

Maya settled back against the wall. "Whenever you're ready."

"What's an Eridian?"

Maya's brow furrowed and Gaige realized that _probably_ wasn't the kind of question she'd been expecting. "Um...they were supposedly the original inhabitants of Pandora...the ones who built the Vaults… They're all extinct now."

Gaige frowned. "Zer0 says he's part Eridian. I dunno if he's half or what, but he's definitely not full human. Got wings and stuff."

This time, Maya's eyebrows shot straight up and she sat forward. "Part Eridian…?" she muttered, almost to herself. Personally, Gaige would have focused on the _wings,_ but the Eridian bit was cool too.

"Yeah, I didn't really think it was weird until you said they're all dead."

"They have been for ages," the Siren explained. "I can't imagine how…"

"He doesn't know either. Said he doesn't even know his real name or anything and I thought that was kinda suspicious." She slipped out of the bunk and crossed the room, gathering up the clothes she'd practically ripped off the night before. She didn't remember taking them off so far away from the bed, though...unless he'd been the one to take them off? And maybe he tossed them over his shoulder…? She shook her head and started dressing. "So it is weird, right? If he's telling the truth?"

Maya stood up slowly. "I need to…" she glanced at Gaige. "I'll be back."

Gaige shrugged as she disappeared through the doorway. "Whatever. Good talk."

* * *

><p>He heard muffled voices outside the bathroom. Both female. Great. He was now presumably the subject of one of those infamous "girl talks." He couldn't make out any of what was being said, but at this point, he didn't really care. The whole situation had gone as far downhill as it could, so there was nothing left to lose. He sighed and studied his hands.<p>

Well, he wasn't seeing doubles anymore—that was a good sign.

He wasn't quite sure if he should consider himself lucky. Gaige was...different. Granted, they were all a little strange in their own ways, but she was...special. Young, brilliant, curious, energetic, and in general, the most accepting person he'd ever met. Fuck, she took the wings in better stride than _he_ had the first time he saw them. He hadn't tried to cut them off or anything, but he put his armor back on as fast as he could and tried to forget they were there. Still, they itched.

God, he shouldn't have been such an asshole to her this morning. The worst thing she'd done was chatter—which was nothing out of the ordinary. He was being stupid. In the few weeks they'd been "unofficially officially" dating, she'd been nothing but great. A capable fighting partner, someone to talk to, even just a comfortable presence during the few times they'd been in the same room, doing their own thing, _not_ talking. She wasn't clingy, but she genuinely cared about him, and understood when he needed time to himself. He actually found himself wanting to spend time with her, even if that just meant watching her tinkering around in the garage with a rag slung over her shoulder and grease smeared on her cheek...

He rubbed his eyes and turned off the water. He needed to talk to her.

* * *

><p>She glanced over when she heard the water turn off. He stepped out from behind the curtain a second later. Her rational mind told her that there was no part of him she hadn't already seen as of last night, but another part of her brain was still yelling "<em>whoa, naked guy!"<em> and she blushed a little as their eyes met.

Surprisingly, he smirked. "Still awkward, is it? / Though I can't really blame you / Wings aren't that common."

She cleared her throat and pulled on her shirt. "Sounds like you're feeling better." Maybe the bad mood had just been because of the hangover. She was hopeful. "You at least have enough brain power to keep spouting poems. If you can call 'em that..."

At that, he actually laughed. ...which made Gaige tempted to just strip and fuck him all over again, cold bathroom floor be damned. But she just kept dressing. "So...you done throwing up all those shots you took last night?"

A momentary look of near-horror crossed his face. "I took shots?"

Gaige nodded. "Yup. A lot, too. Honestly kinda surprised you didn't end up puking 'em all up _before_ now. Or last night in bed. That woulda sucked."

"Well now it makes sense / You're more sober than I am / You didn't take shots." He looked extremely disappointed (almost shameful?) and Gaige found it...strangely adorable.

She laughed. "Nah, don't worry about it. You're...interesting when you're drunk."

He raised an eyebrow. "Interesting how?" He stepped out of view for a moment, then reappeared wrapped in a towel. "Or should I not even ask? / Was it really weird?"

"It was...well, I mean, I've never seen you drunk before, so I didn't know what I expected—not that I expected to ever get drunk with you, but you know what I mean, right?—but you were…" she glanced up at him. He wasn't looking at her; he was too busy drying off. "You were, like, really _needy_." Her face felt hot. "I mean, once you had a few of those shots in you and most of the armor was off, we made out—_really hard_—and you were pretty much all over me and I mean, it was great 'cause you're freaking hot and I was way past buzzed at that point, too, and you're a really good kisser—at least when you're drunk—and you could somehow move your hands _all over_, which, I mean, you're basically a ninja, so you're flexible and all that—"

"You're rambling again / You shouldn't be embarrassed / _You_ still remember." She didn't look up at him, but she could hear the (slightly lopsided) half-smile in his words.

"You mean you don't remember it?" She didn't think it was possible to feel relieved and disappointed at the same time.

"I remember some / I remember the good parts / Just for the record."

"I didn't think any of it was bad," she mumbled, combing her fingers through her tangled hair.

"That's not what I meant / Besides, I like hearing your / perspective of things."

* * *

><p>There were a few minutes of comfortable silence before Gaige (of course) broke it. "So, you had fun last night?"<p>

"Yes…" It sounded like a loaded question.

"I didn't do anything wrong? Or…"

"What makes you think...oh. / Any negativity / was purely my fault."

"Okay, I kinda thought it was 'cause of the hangover, I mean, I could tell you're not used to drinking, and you had more than I did, and I don't really feel too hot this morning either, so I just wanted to make sure it wasn't...me…" Her voice tapered into silence and he didn't have to look at her to know she was staring.

His training, profession, and lifestyle had given him enough awareness to know when someone was watching him. And...if he was going to be honest, he was beginning to like the feeling of knowing someone _wanted _him, strange and unfamiliar as it was. Sure, people had made passes at him before, he knew his body and agility alone were alluring, but he'd never felt inclined to indulge anyone, even if that just meant harmlessly flirting back.

"You know you move like sex incarnate when you fight, right? I just wanted to say that now that we've gotten all the awkwardness out of the way and stuff. And, I mean, after last night, I actually know what sex is _like_, so I can honestly say that some of the stuff you do out there is _hella_ sexy. You know—" she didn't even give him a chance to thank her for the compliment, "—I don't want things to be weird now just because we're, like, intimate or whatever you wanna call it—if we even are, I mean, for all I know, last night could have just been a one-time thing and you don't want to—"

"Stop."

"—what."

"We are not over / Far from it, actually / Don't even go there."

"...so…this could actually be..._a thing_? Us? I mean, I never thought it _couldn't _be, but...I didn't know if you were committed or anything and I need to shut up before I say something really stupid. Yeah."

"Gaige, you...are different / Very unconventional / But in a good way."

"Well shit, thanks. Right back at ya." She was smiling. No, she was grinning. And rummaging around in cupboards.

And he realized he'd completely forgotten about his headache.

"I take you really seriously, you know," she suddenly confessed. "I like you a lot. I just want you to know that. It's not just about your hot voice or your fighting or your wings or even your sweet ass. I like _you_. All of you. I don't really know why or anything, but as long as you're willing to give us a shot, I'll be here, okay? Thought you should know." And with that, she pulled out the object of her search (her hairbrush) and started using it. _That_ was a first in all the time he'd known her. He smiled to himself. She had no reason to change anything about herself, but the attempt in itself spoke volumes anyway. She was doing it for him.

* * *

><p>That night (during a deep, satisfying, Gaige-induced sleep), he dreamed. There was a nebulous white light filling his vision, and distant-yet-somehow-nearby voices murmuring to each other.<p>

"_He's...performing well, so far."_

"_For being a prototype, sure."_

"_A living being can't be a prototype."_

"_Subject Zero, whatever you want to call him. He was the first."_

"_And the only male that survived, remember? So everything he does is important."_

"_What about the girl? She wasn't exactly...expected."_

"_No, but her markers show promise. She could be suitable."_

_There's a tangible pause, followed by, "He's going to find out sooner or later, you know."_

_"I know. Just keep watching him. When the time's right, we'll handle the...fallout."_

He woke up sweating, despite the cold metal of Gaige's mechanical arm draped over his chest.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **If this gets enough attention, I may put up a shorter "wrap-up" type chapter in a few weeks or so. I also have a PlanetSide2 Christmas/winter one-shot in the works, so keep checking back if you're interested!

Again, thank you so much for taking the time to read this and leave a note. The feedback is why I'm here, and hopefully my growth as a writer is evident in each thing I publish. (And additional thanks to my sister, **Farky-Fark and the Munky Bunch** for being supportive of me no matter how many times she rolls her eyes. Love ya, sis!)


	2. Far More Questions Than Answers

**A/N: **Oooookay, so this went from being a fluffy one-shot to being a full-fledged, still-fluffy-but-now-full-of-intrigue-and-suspense multi-chaptered story because I can't leave well enough alone. And I figured, if I gave Zer0 a cool backstory with lots of potential….might as well torture the guy with it.

This chapter's not nearly as interesting (read: sexy) as the first; it's sort of a transition chapter for a more plot-heavy Chapter 3, but almost all the Vault Hunters (past and present) show up, so there's that. I'm still trying to work out the nuances of all the characters, but I think I'm slowly getting the hang of them. As usual, any advice will be eagerly accepted.

This isn't anything huge, but I've changed a little bit about Zer0's appearance and edited the first chapter accordingly. Long story short, even with the way his biology works (which will be revealed later), he wouldn't end up with glowy eyes. So I just made them a really freaky but still probably gorgeous white-gray instead.

Many thanks to those of you who are now following the story, or favorited/reviewed: **CGAdam, Farky-Fark and the Munky Bunch **(no sweet asses in this chapter, sis)**, detramental, paradoxjr, Deponk, yama5, Shi-no-Ookami, A Soggy Sandwich** (I thought your name sounded familiar! Your Zer0/Gaige writing is wonderful!) and **Sgt. M00re.** I really appreciate your support, everyone!

Enough of my rambling! Onto the story!  
><strong>Read, enjoy, review, share!<br>Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, but I still love 'em.**

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><p>"So..." Moxxi leaned in closer to Gaige across the bar. "Word around town is that you got under a certain assassin's armor a couple nights ago... Feel like sharing some details?"<p>

Gaige looked up from her coffee. "He's awesome. That's all anyone needs to know." She didn't feel like dealing with the bartender's rampant rumor-mongering this morning. Despite waking up late (according to her own internal clock), it was still dark (ninety-hour solar cycles were hard to adjust to), and she just wanted to drink her coffee in peace.

Moxxi sighed and retreated to a cupboard a few feet away, grabbing some dirty glasses and a cloth. "Still doesn't want to bare his secrets, huh?" Then more to herself, "Doesn't really bare much of anything. Except to you, of course, hon. At least tell me if it was worth it?"

"Oh, totally. I slept _so hard_."

Moxxi didn't say anything else, just smiled and started cleaning the glasses.

"_Buenos días_, _chica_." Salvador sat down heavily on the barstool next to Gaige. "Where's your freaky boyfriend?"

She shrugged. "He was gone when I woke up." She tried to tell herself that she shouldn't be worried about him. He could easily take care of himself out there. "And he's no freakier than you are."

"I dunno, I got all five fingers and my eyes ain't silver."

"His eyes are _what_ now?" Suddenly, Moxxi was standing right in front of them again.

"Guys...you can't do this." Gaige huffed. "And they're not _silver_, they're gray..."

Salvador raised his palms and leaned back. "_Muchacha_, it ain't our fault we walked in on you two sleepin' all tangled up together. We just wanna know what you know."

"He wouldn't want me to tell." She gulped down the rest of the coffee and slid to the floor.

"Aw, where you goin', sugar?" Moxxi called as the mechromancer headed for the door. "We're just curious…"

She didn't respond. She just needed a place to think about everything. Away from the distractions and the questioning. Since yesterday morning, more questions had been raised than answers. For every secret Zer0 divulged about himself—his biology, his past—she had three more things she wanted to ask. Yeah, so he was part Eridian. Cool, awesome, great. _But how was that even possible?_ According to the other Vault Hunters, they'd all died off _eons_ ago. It couldn't have been natural, she knew that much.

How had he become an assassin? Why was he on Pandora? How old was he? Sure, she was _technically _an adult (all the others treated her like one), but she was still only eighteen. For all she knew, he could have been thirty. Not that she'd ever held any qualms about dating older guys, but...

She sighed and wandered around between buildings and through alleyways. She wanted to talk to him. He'd probably be back in a few hours, but that was still too long a wait. Slowly, she meandered her way back to the Raider HQ.

The sheets on her..._their_...bed were still tangled and unkempt, as if silently inviting them to crawl back in together. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she thought about the past...well, _day_, really. Wow, had it only been a day? Not even a day. In the span of less than thirty hours, she'd managed to take their relationship from a relatively tame one (subtle flirting, at the most) to one where they got drunk together, spent some quality time with their tongues down each others' throats, stripped down to _nothing_, and had sex. Twice. Or had it been three times? Not counting last night, of course.

It was kinda fun—being able to live without inhibitions. Spending every day running around with a bunch of criminals that treated her like family was something she'd never realized she wanted to do. There was no one around to tell her to behave or...stop killing people...or not get into bed with an assassin...the kinds of things that her parents would have...oh. Her parents.

Her smile faltered and she blushed a little as she suddenly thought about what her dad would do if he knew about all this. He'd always been supportive of her (even when she cut off her own arm...or...had to flee halfway across the universe to escape the authorities), but she felt like _maybe_ this crossed a line. Dads were funny about stuff like that.

* * *

><p>He sat on top of a hill. It was dusty, and there was a litter of skag pups playing about a quarter mile away, but it would work. He just needed a place where he wouldn't be bothered. And unless those split-jawed mongrels decided he'd make a nice chew toy (which would quickly result in their deaths), this was a good spot.<p>

He hadn't wanted to leave Gaige still sleeping like that. But he needed to. For one, he didn't want to deal with all the talk that was bound to be going around town. Second, and most importantly, he needed time alone with his thoughts. He needed to spend a couple hours inside his own brain, figuring out what in the _hell_ he'd dreamed about last night.

If it was even a dream at all. This was the first time he ever remembered something like that happening. And he was sure that he would have remembered an event like that if it _had_ ever happened previously.

None of it made sense. Well, not much. He was making the assumption that the voices had been speaking about him. He snorted out a laugh. What else could "subject zero" refer to, besides him?

He sighed. He knew for a fact that he was not...normal. The Eridian DNA in his body ensured that. He _had _to have been...constructed, somehow. The thought made him sick, even though he'd known this for as long as he...well, since a few months before his arrival on Pandora. But this—he was reluctant to call it a dream anymore—gave him new information.

According to the voices, he'd been "the only male that survived." Did that mean there were others? Others like him? Were they all female? ….had they all died? Was he the _only_ survivor of whatever process had brought him into existence?

And what had they meant when they mentioned "the girl"? That part bothered him. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions, but he could only think that they _had_ to have meant Gaige. Their behavior two nights prior _had_ been unexpected, given the progress of their relationship up to that point. Also, what were her "markers" and why were they "promising" enough to make her "suitable"? Suitable for _what_? No scenario he came up with was a good one and he swore to himself, if anyone even _looked _at Gaige the wrong way, he'd pull their eyes out. Then snap off all their fingers. Then tear their arms out of their sockets. He'd only cut their head off when he got tired of hearing them scream.

Regardless of all the technicalities of what he'd heard, he was sure about one thing. Someone was watching them. Closely. How, he had no idea. But damn it all if he wasn't going to find out. And make it stop. Preferably with a bloodbath.

* * *

><p>"MEAT PIES BAKE WITH THE SPINNING HANDS! ROUND AND ROUND AND ROUND!"<p>

"Cool it, big guy," Axton muttered, without even looking up from the schematic he was studying. "We'll eat soon."

"...I swear I did not say a word, Gaige," Maya pressed. "I left because I needed to...check something out for myself. No one knows what you told me. Any rumors are most likely Sal's fault."

"I heard that, _sirena_!" the gunzerker shouted from a nearby room. "And, just so you know, it wasn't all me!"

Maya just rolled her eyes.

Gaige didn't really care if her friends knew Zer0's secret, but said friends did have a tendency to drink too much, _and_ talk too much, and once word got around...that's when things would get dicey. Her lover's biology could be a dangerous thing in the hands of the wrong people. Not that she had any clue who those people could be, but something in the pit of her stomach told her it _probably_ wasn't a good idea to share too much. Just to be on the safe side. The whole thing smelled like a potential scientific conspiracy.

"Where is the guy, anyway?" Axton sat up and looked around. "Hiding out somewhere 'cause he's embarrassed?"

Gaige glowered. "The way I heard it, he handled it with more dignity than _you_ would've. Besides, he could be invisible and standing right behind you right now."

The soldier laughed, but did glance over his shoulder. As if he'd be able to see anything.

"Leave them alone, Ax," Lilith chided. "They're both new to this—they don't need your teasing."

"Yeah, yeah…" he kicked his feet up on the low table in front of his chair. "Just havin' some fun. Didn't think we'd ever catch the freak out of his armor anyway, so how could I pass up the chance to—YOU _FUCKING _BASTARD!"

Everyone looked up sharply at the outburst to see what could have triggered it. On the table where Axton's feet had been only seconds before sat a cross-legged Zer0; looking as if he'd been there the whole time. Which...he probably had.

Axton was now standing beside his chair, pointing an accusatory finger at the assassin. "You can't just _do_ that!"

"I just did," Zer0 mediated, flashing a smile emote on his helmet.

Axton grumbled, but sat down again.

"I am not a freak / You should really watch your tongue / While it's still attached."

"We all know what we saw," the soldier countered, unruffled by the threat. "Right guys?" He looked around the room for confirmation.

"PRETTY PRETTY PURPLE PUTRESCENCE WILL CAUTERIZE THE CLOUDS!"

"We _do _know what we saw," Lilith began slowly, "but that doesn't mean he's any more of a freak than the rest of us." She smiled a little. "No one here is what I'd consider _normal_. You don't call Krieg a freak. Or me or Maya. Or Gaige."

"Well, _he_—" Axton nodded toward the Psycho in another corner of the room, "—could kill me in three seconds flat—"

"Oh, and I couldn't? / Do I need to remind you / I'm an assassin?"

"—and the rest of you are cute chicks. There's a difference."

Gaige had had enough. She stood, arms crossed, scowling. "Look, I don't know why everyone's flipping out so hard about this. So what, you saw him without his armor on and he had wings and gray eyes—_big deal_. He's still one of us and we had no issues with him before any of..._what_, guys…?" she stopped and looked around at all the bewildered stares she was getting.

Mordecai, who had been silent the whole time, cleared his throat. "You did just say _wings_, right?"

She blinked. "Yeah…?"

A soft _thump_ was the only reply.

"You mean you guys didn't _know_…?" She glanced over at Zer0, who had (for lack of a better term) double-facepalmed.

There was a long silence before Salvador laughed and gave a few slow claps. "Alright, _chico flaco_, start strippin'. We gotta see this."

* * *

><p>He recovered enough to roll his eyes (not that any of them could see that) and lift his head out of his hands. "Sorry Salvador  But I only strip for Gaige / You're shit outta luck."

Gaige was quickly trying to backpedal, but he knew it was useless. The rest of them weren't going to give up until they'd seen what they wanted to see. "...I totally thought you guys saw them when you woke him up the other day. Wasn't that why you were all so curious? No? You mean you were _really_ that interested in just the eyes thing? That's not even that _special_—no offense or anything, Z. But if I were you—"

"Gaige." He didn't need her making things worse than they already were. "Close the doors."

"Um…"

"Do it."

She tossed her hands in the air, but did as he asked.

Calmly, he started addressing the other Vault Hunters. "You have to promise / That what you're about to see / Never leaves this room."

They all looked at each other, mumbling, and slowly nodded their consent.

"Thank you." He reached up and started removing his helmet.

"Y'know, for a second there, I thought you were gonna try to kill us all," Axton chuckled.

"Wouldn't have to _try_," he muttered, shaking out his hair and setting his helmet down on the table beside him. He glanced around at the circle of his colleagues. They were all watching closely.

"You never told us what you were," Salvador piped up from his left. "But if I had to guess, I'd say you ain't totally human."

Axton made a small noise of agreement. "Yeah, I've seen a lot of people in my travels, but none of 'em had a face like that..."

For a split second, he considered just waiting to see if they guessed. But Maya quashed that idea. "He's part Eridian."

The ensuing silence was the loudest he'd ever heard. No one said _anything_ for a full two minutes. They just stared. They hardly even moved. Miraculously (or maybe not—the silence was starting to get awkward), even Krieg couldn't find any nonsense to yell. Gaige just stood still against the wall near the front door, looking at the floor.

Finally, Lilith summed up everyone's feelings. "How." It wasn't exactly a question.

His eyes darted between each of the other Vault Hunters. How much to tell them…? "I don't know," he finally answered. Lied. But they didn't know that. If he was going to be honest with himself, he wasn't exactly sure either. He had a _hunch_. But he could handle a hunch better than the rest of them. So he'd keep it to himself until it turned into facts.

"You know who could help," Mordecai started, standing up slowly. "Tannis. She knows more about the Eridians than anyone else."

"CLEAN OUT THE COTTON WITH CALIPERS AND CRUCIBLES!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Salvador held up his hands. "The _pequeña pelirroja_ said he had wings. I dunno 'bout the rest of ya, but I wanna see 'em. After that, we can figure out what to do with him."

Mordecai scoffed. "Who are you calling _pequeño, _shorty?" He nodded at Gaige. "She's as tall as you are. Which isn't sayin' much."

The gunzerker grumbled as Zer0 sighed and began removing the various plates and pieces of his upper armor. This wasn't _exactly_ what he'd had in mind when it came to revealing his appearance to the rest of the Vault Hunters. And as far as Tannis was concerned...no, he had to keep them away from her for as long as possible. Unfortunately, that would be difficult, to say the least.

Axton whistled teasingly once he'd finished taking everything off. Several of the others laughed in response. Zer0 just glared and wordlessly turned so that his back was toward the majority of them.

This time, there was no silence. Everyone started talking, albeit at an acceptable volume (aside from Krieg). Zer0 tuned out the conversation and focused on Gaige. The mechromancer was still leaning against the wall, looking down, picking at her nails. He didn't want to bring attention to her, so he didn't call her name. But she never made eye contact. She didn't even look up.

"How do you keep 'em folded up inside the armor all the time?" He tore his gaze away from Gaige and looked over his shoulder at Mordecai.

"Carefully," was his only answer. Damn, he'd never noticed how uncomfortable it felt to have them out like this after spending such a long time in his armor. They were sore. Or maybe he'd just noticed the difference since he'd been...armorless...more than usual recently. Regardless, he moved them a little to get the blood flowing and went back to staring at Gaige.

* * *

><p>That had been a <em>really dumb<em> move. _Way to go, Gaige. Now everyone knows. And you were the one that fucked up and said something stupid. Just like you said you _shouldn't _have done. _She didn't know what would happen next. She wanted to believe that her friends would honor Zer0's wishes and keep this to themselves. But...things weren't that simple. People got drunk. Word got around. Consequences happened.

She sighed and dared a glance up at the group. Zer0 was still sitting on the table, crossing those ridiculously long legs, facing away from everyone else. Unarmored from the waist up. His wings were half-spread and angled down. Periodically, they'd move—just a little; a vague "open-close" motion, like a butterfly sunning itself. She watched for a while as he turned away to answer another question. Was that voluntary? Or did it just happen, like breathing or blinking?

She fidgeted. It wasn't doing her any good to just stand here and think about how she'd screwed up. She should go over there and sit with him. She slowly walked over to the rest of the group. A few of them glanced up at her, but everyone was too preoccupied with Zer0's newfound mythological status to really care. She sat on the floor in front of the table and rested her head in his lap. He didn't speak; just gently worked his fingers through her hair. It wasn't any use trying to hide anymore. They were together. They were a couple. They were lovers. She liked knowing that. Liked being able to show it.

"So...are these things a huge pain in the ass during sex, or...?"

Zer0 looked over at Axton. "We get creative / They're not hard to work around / And Gaige plays with them."

She blushed as she felt his lips on the back of her neck. Innuendos and flirting had never really gotten to her like this before. Apparently he liked being able to show off their relationship, too.

"Eugh...forget I asked..."

Absently (and for the first time), Gaige wondered just how _creative_ he was willing to get. She had to remember to ask the next time they were alone. She wouldn't mind experimenting a little… Too lost in her thoughts (and already feeling better), she wasn't aware he'd leaned down until he was whispering directly in her ear.

"Everything alright? / You're being far too quiet / Do you want to talk?"

She shook her head, clearing out all the hazy images of ropes and carefully-inflicted lacerations smearing blood across pale skin. "I didn't mean to start all this." Worry about any potential danger they faced wormed its way back into her gut, cold. All the fantasies in the world wouldn't matter if one—or both—of them ended up dead.

He laughed softly. "Better they know now / Than find us in bed again / So I should thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," she mumbled.

* * *

><p>After a haphazard lunch (filled with innumerable questions about Eridians and sex—the former directed at Zer0 and the latter at Gaige), the pair was finally able to slip away unnoticed in the bustle of the cleanup.<p>

They wove through the alleys in tense silence. "Want to confess now? / You're a very bad liar / What's bothering you?"

She sighed audibly. "I'm probably going to sound like a crazy person—"

"Nothing new there."

"God, you can be a fucking jerk. I'm actually really worried about you, okay?"

He glanced over his shoulder, flashing a question mark across his helmet. She seemed legitimately angry. He slowed to a stop and turned around to face her. "I was just teasing—"

"I'm not stupid," she cut in. "I know there's something weird going on here. You somehow have the DNA of an ancient alien species that doesn't exist anymore and that can't be _natural_. And I'm a little pissed at myself that I had to go and run my big mouth and let everyone in on your secret. And now, if it gets out and people start hearing rumors about a guy that's part Eridian…" she tossed up her hands in frustration. "I dunno. I just feel like there are so many things that could go wrong."

"I haven't died yet / What makes you think I'll start now? / I can handle it."

She looked down and kicked at a rock.

He stayed silent. He didn't want to tell her how right she might have been. Not that _he_ even really knew what would happen if this information leaked. But something about it didn't feel right, that was for sure. Still, he didn't want to worry her. Emoting a smile, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "The car's not too far / And I'll even let you drive / Let's make some roadkill."

* * *

><p>Well. That hadn't exactly had the desired effect. Gaige drove, but she didn't really seem to be enjoying herself, and after a couple hours or so, she'd parked their vehicle under a rocky outcrop and was now just...sitting. Silent. Arms crossed, staring out into middle distance.<p>

Zer0 sighed and shook his head. There was obviously something going on here that she wasn't telling him. "Gaige, just be honest / Pouting won't solve these problems / ...but you do look cute."

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back with a groan, completely ignoring the flirting. "I just...I thought that things would be _easy_ now. No more Jack, no more daily raids from Hyperion goons...only us puttering around trying to find the Vaults, but _nooo…_you had to go and be difficult, didn't you?"

The harsh words didn't match her tone. She just sounded...tired. Which was honestly more troublesome than her being angry. He reached across the seat and rubbed her shoulder. "I didn't choose this / I'd love to know who I am / I have questions, too."

She opened her eyes and sat up with an exasperated huff. "But you _have_ to know more, right? Something? _Anything?_ Any...any memories, anything that might give us a clue?"

He shook his head, starting to feel a little guilty as the words _subject_ and _prototype_ nagged at the back of his thoughts.

Gaige heaved a heavy sigh and went back to staring out at the wilderness in front of them. When she spoke again a minute later, her voice was very soft. "I want to help you figure this out."

"And I'll take the help / But only the two of us / For now, anyway."

She turned to stare at him. "Why not the others? We're practically a family—we've all helped each other with personal stuff before. What's different about this? Besides, if some crazy shit ends up goin' down, you'd wanna have a couple sirens, Axton's turret, Brick's fists, and as many guns as Sal and Mordy could hold to back you up, right?"

He didn't answer for a moment. Was he being self-centered? She was right—the remaining Vault Hunters had formed close bonds. They all trusted each other. They were willing to come to each others' aid.

"At least think about it. I know you're more of a loner type, anyway." She pulled her legs up into the seat and tucked them against her chest with yet another sigh. "And if you don't want my help, that's fine too. I'd understand."


End file.
